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Show 124 rl'HE S'l'ATE CONY .ll:N'l'lONS. EXTRACTS FROM THE DEBATES IN THE CONVEN. TION OF CONNECTICUT. Jan1.wry 4, 1788.-0livcr BllsworLh. l\1r. President: It is obscrvalJlc that there is no preface to the proposed Con. slitntion; but it evidently pre-supposes two things; one i", the 11cccssi ty of a. federal goYcrnmen t, the other is the incfii. ciency of the olu Articles of Confederation. A union is necessary for the purposes of' national defcusc. United we arc strong, divided we arc weak. It is easy for ho. tile tlalions to sweep o[ a number of separate states, one after another. Witnes the states in the ucighl.>orhood of ancient Home. They were snccc.·sivcly suudncd by thuL ambitious city, which they might have conquered with the utmost case if they had been united. 'ViLncss the Canaanitish nations, whose divided situation rendered them an easy prey. Witness England, which, when divided into separn.lc states, wa.s twice conquered by an inferior force. 'l'hus it always hn ppcns to small stntcs, and to great ones if di viL1cd. Or if, to a void this, they connect themselves with some powerful state, their situation is not much better. This shows us the necessity of combin· ing our whole force, and, as to national purposes, becoming one stale. .A. union, sir, is likewise necessary, considered with rela· tion to economy. 'rhey must provide for their defense. The expense of it, which would be moderate for a large kingdom, woulu be intolerable to a petty state. The Dutch arc wealthy, but they are one of the smallest of the Euro· pcau nations, and their taxes are higher than in any other conn try of Em·opc. 'Their taxes amount to forty shillings per head, when those of England do not exceed half that sum. We must unite ill order lu preserve peace among our· 'I' liE S'l'.A 'J'l,J CONVE.Nl'IONS. 125 ~,;elves. If we be divided, what is to prevent wars from breaking out nmong the Stalefl ? Stat s, as well as inlliviuuals, arc suuj ect to ambition, to avariec, to th ose jarring pus. ions which disturb the peace of sodety. \Vhat i. to check these? If there l.>c a parental hand over t he whole tltis, and nothing else, can rcstra.iu tlJC unruly conduct of the' members. Union is necessary to preserve commulativc justice between the Stales. If divided what is to prevent the large Slates from oppre. siug the small ? WhaL is to defend u from the ambition and rapaci ty of New York, 'vvhen she has spread over thnt vast terri tory which sl1c claims uuu holds? Do we not nlrcady sec in her the seeds of an overbearing a111 hi tio11 ? On our other side th ere is a large and powerful State. Have we not already l.>cgun to be tributari es ? If we do not improve the present cri tical time-if we rlo ll OL uniteshall we not be li ke Issachar of old, n. slrono- asR eronchin()' /:"> down uctwccn two burdens. N cw J erscy anu Delawnrc have sccu tllis, and have adopted the Consti tution unanimuuHly. A more en crgct ic ~ystcm iR necessary. 1'hc prcf.icnL is mcrrly adviso ry. It has no coercive ~lo we r. \Vitho11t thi:.;;, government is in c[ cctual, or rather Is no govemmcnt at nil. But it is said, "Such a power is not HcccRsary. States will not do wrong. 'l'hey need only to be told their dn t.y and th ey will do it." I ask, sir, whnt warrant is there for this assertion ? Do not States do wrong? Whence come wars ? One of two hosti le uations mu ·t be in the wro11g. But it is said, "Among sister Stn,tcs this can never be presumed." But do we not kn ow that when fricmls become enemies, thci1· enmity i · Lhc mo:t virnlc11t? The seventeen provinces of the N ethcrlauds were once confederated : they fonght under the same banner. .Ant- |